This library guide will introduce you to what Generative AI (Gen AI) is and what the terminology used with it means. We will look at academic integrity, critical evaluation and ethical issues along with some of the practicalities of using Generative AI tools.

This is guidance not policy, and it should be considered alongside the UWS Academic Integrity Guidelines.

Gen AI tools are rapidly evolving and changing all the time and we expect that we will need to update this guidance in response to this. We recommend that you revisit this guide regularly to check for updates.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) enables computers to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as writing, generating images, speech recognition, decision-making, and translation. It uses algorithms to process data and learn from it, mimicking human thinking and learning.

Within AI, Generative AI, usually shortened to Gen AI, refers specifically to a type of AI where applications (known as large language models) are trained to learn from data to improve at performing certain tasks, such as creating content like text, code, images, video and audio based on the vast amounts of data that the AI has been trained on.

As these Gen AI technologies continue to evolve, with potential new applications being explored all the time, being AI literate is becoming increasingly important. We hope this guide will help you begin to develop your understanding of AI literacy in order to approach the technologies critically and responsibly.

AI Literacy refers to the skills and understanding we will all need as a starting point for navigating in a world where AI tools are proliferating and being continuously developed. Here are some suggestions to consider:

• Recognise when you are interacting with AI in existing and new platforms
• Develop a basic knowledge of how different types of AI work and the human role in AI
• Be able to critically analyse AI by considering its strengths, weaknesses and limitations
• Consider what AI might be capable of in the future
• Be aware of the ethical issues surrounding AI, its use in education and the impact of this on academic integrity
• Be able to critically evaluate information generated by AI tools and make informed decisions about its use in your work
• Communicate successfully with AI including creating effective prompts.